Several dozen Baltimore dockworkers have filed a lawsuit challenging their national union’s takeover of their local chapter and dismissal of 500 new members before Wednesday’s referendum on a local contract.

The largest International Longshoremen’s Association local in Baltimore will vote again March 25 on a local contract agreement that union and employer representatives hope will end months of confusion and controversy at the port.

Putting waterfront labor under the Railway Labor Act will be a heavy legislative lift with a divided Congress and a union-friendly White House. And, it’s unclear if such a move would prevent “economic warfare” — whether from union slowdowns and the withholding of labor, or employers’ refusal to hire workers.

Speaking to more than 2,000 attendees at the 15th Annual TPM Conference this month, Matthew Shay, president of the National Retail Federation, called on Congress and the Obama administration to change how unionized port labor and waterfront employers negotiate agreements so “the interest of thousands” can no longer threaten the livelihood of millions.

The International Longshoremen’s Association said it will not undermine the International Longshore and Warehouse Union by seeking cargo diverted to East and Gulf Coast ports by the recent West Coast contract standoff.

An East Coast dockworker Wednesday shocked importers and exporters that use West Coast ports by saying something completely opposite of what they have experienced from West Coast longshoremen the past four months.

The International Longshoremen’s Association and United States Maritime Alliance plan to open discussions about a new, long-term contract more than three years before their current East and Gulf coast labor agreement expires.

President Obama is sending Labor Secretary Tom Perez to California to meet with International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association negotiators to help them reach a contract as West Coast congestion nears a breaking point.

Negotiators for the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union reached a tentative agreement on the chassis maintenance and repair issue that has been the major roadblock to reaching a new waterfront contract at West Coast ports.

The Pacific Maritime Association on Friday released detailed accounts of the dramatic drop in longshore productivity at West Coast ports that began in late October and continues to contribute to stifling port congestion.